


Peace on Earth

by bookscape



Category: Zorro (TV 1957)
Genre: Christmas, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 17:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: After twenty years of riding as Zorro, Diego finds life lonely and hopeless.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After twenty years of riding as Zorro, Diego finds life lonely and hopeless.

Peace on Earth

**[2](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace2.htm)**

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**[3](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace3.htm)**

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**[4](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace4.htm)**

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**[5](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace5.htm)**  
  
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_**Peace on Earth**_  
  
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_**The main source for inspiration for this story is a short little Christmas film, called "Mr. Krueger's Christmas." This film, starring the late, great James Stewart, tells of a lonely, caring old janitor, whose family is now dead and whose life consists of Walter Mitty-like dreams. One of his dreams is of a visit to the manger of long ago... a visit that makes him realize just how rich his life is......**_

_**It is available from a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for free. If you wish to get a copy, privately email me and I can ship you one. You can also check on LDS.org**_

_**This is a story of loneliness and fulfillment, loss and joy. It is a story of an older Don Diego, a man who has spent twenty years in service of his fellowman, but feels that life has left him behind. And this man who has brought so much hope to others feels none for himself.**_  
  
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**Diego/Zorro and Tornado are the only characters that I have borrowed from Disney. I have used them with great love and gratitude. All other characters, (except the holy family), are my own. If you like them and want to borrow them, just ask.**

**I am grateful to my writers group on the GWwritersforum. Thanks so much..... You all are the best!**

**First his story is dedicated to all my friends in Guy! But it is especially dedicated to Him from whom all blessings flow, my God, as well as His Son, and my Savior. Without them there would be no stories......**  
  
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**Part One**

**_Modern psychologists say that Christmas, for some, is the loneliest, most stressful time of the year. For some it becomes a time of despair, and nothing can make them forget their misery… or can it?_**

**California, 1840**

**The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, lighting the room and sending its flickering solace to every corner.But is warm cheerfulness was wasted on the middle aged man sitting in the chair facing it.His thoughts were elsewhere, and they were neither cheerful nor merry.The face had seen many years of continual danger and constant stress, even though it was still a relatively youthful face.The dark brown hair was untouched by the gray of age; wrinkles had not yet marred the handsome visage.But the eyes were those of an old man, or one who had cared too much and lost too much and seen too much.**

**A young peasant girl walked into the library and turned to the morose man in the chair.“Don Diego, it is wonderful that Pepito’s oldest daughter is going to be in the first Posada celebration.She is so excited.It is splendid, is it not?”**

**“Sí,” Diego de la Vega said in an abstract tone.His mind was deeply in the past.**

**“Do you wish for me to call Miguel in to play a game of chess with you?”**

**“NO!” he said harshly, his mind suddenly jerked back to the present.“No,” he repeated more softly.He looked carefully into the face of the young girl and saw hurt, even though she tried valiantly to hide it.“I am sorry, Isadora.Forgive my rudeness.”**

**“Ah, Don Diego, you are forgiven.”Isadora turned to the fireplace and then paused a moment.“Patrón, if I may suggest; it would do you good to go to the Posada tonight and the fiesta afterward.”**

**Diego sighed.“Graciás, I may just do that,” he said, more to placate the effervescent young woman than out of sincere desire.He watched her bank up the fire and place another log on the hearth.She had the graceful figure of youth.Her hips swished seductively, and almost seemed to beckon to him.When she stood up and smiled at him, before turning back to the fire again, he felt desire erupt inside his body, a desire he had for the most part kept sequestered in the unfulfilled corners of his soul. This time, though, he let it grow, not wishing to suppress what circumstances and his own choices had caused him to miss during so much of the past twenty years.**

**He felt his breath quicken, while his eyes took in every curve, each movement.It was almost a pain, this hot desire that coursed through his body.Forcing his eyes away from Isadora, he saw that his hands were trembling slightly.Quickly he got up and left the library, walking through the sala and out to the patio before the girl noticed.**

**Climbing the stairs to his room, he thought about the bitterness that now seemed to hang like a pendant around his neck.He could have had a normal life; he could have had older children to help him run the rancho by now.He could have had happiness and joy.He could have had Anna Maria, or Alicia Margarita, or even Juanita, the Mexican Administrado _’s_ daughter.All of these women had been attracted to him and he to them during his younger years.But they had been inaccessible to him, all because of the bandit called Zorro.And the bandit continued to ride when necessary, although lately it had been more from duty than from the joy of service to his fellowmen.**

**Now he had only himself… and his loneliness.Sgt. Garcia had gone first ten years ago, a victim of his own excesses.But he served until the end, happy in trying to help others.Diego had found himself more than a little bit moved by the large attendance at the big man’s funeral.The loss of his father five years ago had hit him the hardest, though.The man, who alone had raised him from the age of eleven, when Diego’s dear mother had died, was the person who had left the greatest void in his soul.Zorro rode often during the year after Don Alejandro’s death, even when there were no wrongs to right.**

**The only thing that had assuaged his loss was Bernardo.The mozo knew exactly what to do and ‘say’ during that first year and helped to ease the pain.And now, just four months ago, Diego had buried his friend.No more would he laugh over the silent arguments at the chessboard.No more would he receive the calming counsel that he had come to count on over the years.For twenty long, stressful, difficult, but, in many ways, fulfilling years Bernardo had been by his side.The ache of his loss was every bit as painful as his father’s had been, partly because Bernardo had been like a brother, partly because he had been the last.Zorro had not ridden since the death of the mozo.**

**Looking around, Diego saw all the things that had made his room comfortable in the past. There was the picture of the Madonna and child on the far wall, a picture without the accompaniment of the halo and other things that would indicate deity.It comforted him because it reminded him so much of his own mother, and he imagined at times that it was a commissioned picture of himself and his mother when he was a baby.His bedding had been aired, replaced and meticulously made.Remotely, he resented it.Most of the time Bernardo had taken care of that job.The room was comfortable, as far as physical comforts, but somehow empty, devoid of feeling, of happiness.It loomed huge in its loneliness.Suddenly, he couldn’t stand to stay in his own room.**

**Pressing an indention on the mantelpiece, Diego watched the tiny door swing open to an equally tiny room.Passing through, he quickly lit a lantern and stepped down stone stairs that he could have negotiated blindfolded, he knew them so well.A soft whicker greeted him.“Tornado,” he murmured.There was still Tornado.However, he thought wryly, even this was not the same.This was the third Tornado, the grandson of the original member of the trio that had saved Don Ignacio Torres.**

**“Ah, Tornado.You are wondering what is wrong with me?Why we have not gone out in a while?”Diego picked up the curry brush and began grooming the magnificent stallion, starting from the graceful arched neck and working his way across the strong withers, along his back and side and down the powerful hindquarters.This Tornado was slightly bigger than the first, having been bred from a long-legged Andalusian mare**

**“What a strange web it is that has been woven for us!” he said and then paused.Tornado turned his head and jostled his arm.“But it is a web of much our own weaving, is it not, my friend?”Diego chuckled softly as the stallion nuzzled his hand, the velvety soft muzzle tickling his fingers.**

**He continued to groom the stallion, the gliding action of the brush against Tornado’s warm hide soothing to his troubled psyche.So, Pepito’s blind daughter was going to be Mary in the first Posada, he thought, his mood brightening a bit.That would be a good thing to go into the pueblo for.“And, my friend, I will take you,” he said to the patient animal.In the past dozen years, coal black horses had become somewhat more common.There were several in his own herd.The original Tornado had not been idle when he was retired; he had visited herds all over the area.**

**“So, Tornado, is that what I will get to do when I am retired?”He chuckled and then sighed.No, he thought, when an old stud of Tornado’s caliber visited the herds, he was welcomed.But he suspected that if he visited area ranchos, he would most certainly not be welcome; he would be shot.Diego smiled as the macabre vision danced through his mind.**

**Later, dressed in a fine green outfit with silver thread highlights along with a design of small silver conchas on each breast, he rode Tornado into the pueblo.Isadora was right.It was festive and he could not help but feel some of the happiness and joy that flowed and eddied through the crowd gathered near the church in the plaza.**

**“Pepito!” he called out to a man standing near him.Tornado pranced lightly, nervous to be in proximity to so many people.He was used to being solitary, furtive, secretive in the quiet of dark corners and shadows.Diego began to wonder if he should have left the great stallion back home.**

**Turning to him, the Indian who had been with the de la Vega family for so many years called out in return.“Don Diego!You are here to see Rosita play the Holy Mother of God in the Posada tonight?”**

**“But of course, Pepito.I would not miss it, my friend,” Diego told him and then maneuvered Tornado to the small stable behind the tavern.It would be better for his ill at ease friend and much less noticeable than in the cuartel where most visitors were leaving their horses.**

**This year the first Posada celebration was going to be held in the tavern itself.Diego remembered some years ago when he and his father had held a first Posada.It was quite special, he thought fondly.“Don Diego!” he heard from across the room.It was the innkeeper, Juan Morales.The thin face was gleaming with an inner light of childlike joy.**

**“It is good of you to sponsor the first Posada,” Diego called out.**

**“Por nada, I enjoy it so much myself,” Morales declared.“But would you do the honors of playing for us after the procession gets here?”**

**Diego had thought to be a silent spectator, but nodded anyway, unable to refuse the man’s request.Morales quickly thrust a guitar into his hands.**

**Diego sat near the fire and watched a kitchen helper string the large star-shaped piñata from a rafter.The ornate earthenware jar, covered with papier maché, swung gently, its colorful streamers shivering slightly as though in fearful anticipation of the total destruction that would soon be visited upon it.A table near the wall was covered with food--bean and meat filled tamales, _revoltijo de romeritos_ (greens in hot mole sauce), an orange punch heated over the fireplace, along with a few sweet candies made from the sugar that occasionally found its way to California. **

**Every few minutes Señor Morales peeked out the door.Finally he looked out and was rewarded with the sight of the procession just coming into the plaza.Several members of the group broke away from the main body and headed around to the rear of the tavern.Soon they could be heard coming in the back door.Diego watched as the diminutive shepherds and innkeepers pranced to the front door where they waited with Señor Morales.Suppressing a chuckle, Diego thought that Morales couldn’t be any less excited than the little ones.**

**A knock sounded at the front door and the children, who had already entered lowered their voices, said gruffly in unison, “Who is it?”**

**"Please, kind sirs, my wife is about to have a baby, a holy baby, the Son of God, please give us a place to rest," a small voice representing Joseph said plaintively.**

**With a loud cry, and to the surprise of the children, Morales shouted, “Enter Holy Pilgrims!” and opened the door wide.The young ‘Joseph’ led Rosita into the room and everyone streamed in after them.The children looked around eagerly and as soon as the padre had said a prayer to end the procession, the festivities began.**

**First there was the piñata.The little ones swung their sticks wildly, but they laughed with joy and watched as the older children took their turns.Soon, with a loud crack, the piñata broke into pieces, spilling sweets, nuts, and coins all over the tavern floor.The children scrambled after their treasures, scooping them up and putting them in their sashes.**

**Periodically, Diego played Posada tunes for the children and occasionally sang along with them, but most of the time he just sat quietly, sipping his wine and watching.It seemed like such a long time ago when he had been young enough to be in a Posada and break the piñata.Suddenly melancholy again, Diegogently laid the guitar down and left through the back door.Tornado whickered and nudged him on the shoulder.He dreaded going home to the lonely hacienda, but he couldn’t stand to remain in the pueblo.**

**Diego noticed a saddlebag tied behind the saddle and tried to remember what he had packed and when.Scratching the back of his head, he finally ceased wondering and just walked the stallion out of the stable.He had probably brought along an extra set of clothes in case he stayed in the tavern overnight.**

**As he trotted down the road to the hacienda, the night air seemed to suddenly get chill and a fog began to pile up from the ground, adding to itself until it swirled around the horse’s chest.Tornado was seemingly unaffected by it and continued his easy mile eating trot.But Diego was a bit uneasy as such a fog usually didn’t make its way this far inland this time of year nor was it normally so thick.He shivered and swiveled around, untying one of the saddlebag straps and digging inside for something that he could wear to dispel the chill.To his astonishment, he felt the silken smoothness of his Zorro outfit.He didn’t remember packing that clothing at all. In fact the very idea of going out as Zorro had been especially repugnant to him in the recent months.**

**Tornado stopped in front of the secret cave.Diego prodded him with his heels, but the stallion stood firmly in place, for some reason not wanting to step through the entrance.Suddenly alarmed, the caballero dismounted and carefully pulled aside some of the brush that had hidden the entrance from the rest of the world for two decades.Creeping fingers of alarm began sliding up and down his spine when he heard the muffled sound of feet inside the cave. Diego drew back and pondered what to do.**

**Finally, resolutely, he made up his mind, and, drawing the sword from its special place just under the side of the large saddle, he slipped through the brush…and into the smoky, dusky interior of his cave.But was it his cave?Diego looked back at the entrance, then he looked around in astonishment.Of course it was his cave.After all this time there was no way he could become lost and walk into a strange place.However, it was his cave strangely transformed.**

**There were oil lamps everywhere, straw in abundance on the floor, there was even a torch stuck into a holder on the wall.There were people, but they were unarmed, holding only shepherds’ crooks.In the far back of the cave, Diego saw animals, oxen and cows, a couple of goats and sheep, burros, along with several people.He felt out of place and confused.**

**With his sword ready, he continued forward until he was just behind the last man.They all seemed to be dressed as though from far in the past, in what appeared to be long nightshirts… no, thought Diego, burnooses, with headscarves on their heads.The clothing appeared somewhat Moorish.Without exception, they were all wearing sandals that laced up above their ankles.Their bandas were more ropelike and utilitarian than the ones such as he wore.All the adult males were bearded, and all were in the attitude of prayer, down on at least one knee.And all were murmuring in a language Diego didn’t recognize.He looked around in confusion, wondering what had happened to his cave, and how people could have found and inhabited it in the space of a few short hours.**

**What were they worshipping, he wondered?Diego turned his attention once again on the small group in the back of the cave.In the smoky dimness, they were hard to make out, but the caballero was finally able to see that there was a man there, about ten years younger than himself with a very young woman, no more than sixteen years old next to him.She looked very tired and worn, but nevertheless happy.She was gazing at a bundle in her arms, which Diego saw was a baby, wrapped tightly in white cloth strips, only its face open to the elements.It seemed to be looking around, making soft contented suckling sounds that were only barely heard above the murmuring of the other people and the noises of the animals.**

**It was a strange scene, something he had never witnessed before, and yet, it was at the same time, somewhat familiar.Then revelation hit him, and the shock of it almost drove him to his knees.“Santa Maria!” he exclaimed.That was the Mother of God in front of him, with the Holy Babe in her arms.The chill of various emotions shot through his body, his sword dropped from his fingers, and then he did fall to his knees, bowing his head and crossing himself.At his exclamation, Mary looked at him and smiled.Putting his sword through his banda, Diego slowly got to his feet and walked forward.**  
  
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**[Chapter Two](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace2.htm) **  
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**[Holiday Zorro Stories](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/holidayintro.htm)**  
**[Zorro Contents](http://www.bookscape.net/zorro/zorrocontents.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	2. Chapter 2

Peace on Earth

_**Peace on Earth**_  
  
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**Part Two**

**As his awe and wonder grew, the Diego couldn’t help but wonder how this was done and why he had been allowed to witness such a great and marvelous thing.What had he done to deserve such a reward?Why was he here?As he drew closer, Diego kept staring at the Holy Child.The baby’s skin was smooth and pink, making him think the birth had not been too long before his arrival.**

**As he stared at the Babe, for some strange reason, he began remembering his days as the fox.In his mind he replayed the time he had saved his father, the times he had helped so many in the pueblo, kept tyranny from the doorsteps of so many people.In a flash of insight, Diego realized all the times the bullets had gone astray, horses following had slowed, minds trying to guess his secret had seemed dull.How seemingly impossible rescues had succeeded and innocents saved.How his mind had sharpened as he fought against tyranny and oppression.**

**He remembered and bowed his head in gratitude as well as shame.While it had been hard, while there had been sacrifice and though there had been great and intense loneliness, he had been cared for and blessed.He had the companionship of a loving father and a kind and devoted servant/friend, along with all those friends he had known.He had no reason to bemoan his lot.The Child gazed at his face then down to his jacket, where the silver decorations winked in the flickering light of the oil lamps.**

**Mary gazed at him as well, but her scrutiny began with his attire and ended on his face.She smiled slightly and asked him a question.It was in the same language he had heard the shepherds speak when he entered this time/place.Shaking his head Diego signed that he could not understand her.He continued to glance down at the Holy Child, who was now sleeping contentedly in His mother’s arms.Looking back up, he saw the Mother of God signing back to him with her free hand.**

**Was he from far away, her fingers asked?He nodded an affirmative.Was he a king or a great ruler, she asked next?**

**“No,” he said vehemently, shaking his head.A great ruler, he thought wryly?No, he was having trouble ruling his own life right now.But he was here and he felt it was for more than just his own self-revelation.Glancing down at the front of his chaqueta, Diego saw the rows of silver conchas and wondered how useful silver might be to the Holy Family.Kings had come, or would come later and given gold and precious spices.Making signs, Diego pulled off his chaqueta, drew the sword from his banda and used it to cut off the silver conchas.Soon he was finished and handed all of the tiny pieces of silver to Joseph who had been silently watching.He dug inside another pocket and pulled out a watch.That would not be of use to the Pilgrims, but on the chain of the watch was a ring, his father’s wedding ring that he had put there the day his father had died.It was of pure gold and would be of definite use to the Holy Family.The chain was also of gold.He handed both to Joseph with a smile.**

**“It is all I have right now to give to the Holy Babe,” Diego said in his own language, knowing that they did not understand his words, but feeling that they might understand his intent.He pointed to the Child to clarify what he had said.**

**_No_ , a voice whispered in his mind. _It is not all you can give_. _You can give your service, a continuation of the service that you have so selflessly rendered for twenty years_. _It need not be exactly the same as you have previously given, but service where needed is service to God.And you can give your gratitude, gratitude for all the gifts that you have received, all the gifts you will yet receive, gratitude for everything God has given you; for all good comes from God_.**

**Diego stared at the Child, but He was still asleep.The _caballero_ looked at Mary, but she was gazing at the pieces of silver in her husband’s hand.Overwhelmed, he dropped again to his knees.“Graciás,” Diego whispered to the Holy Babe.“Thank you for all the years I have had in which to serve You.Thank you for guiding me, for protecting me.Thank you for the time I had with my father, especially after he almost died.I thank you for leading me to Bernardo so long ago.Thank you for being my friend, my protector, my Savior.”The tears finally flowed, tears that had not fallen when his father had died, tears that had not been allowed when his friend had died, tears that had not been given a place but once when his mother died.These tears of gratitude fell freely now and they cleansed him, gave him solace.When he looked up and saw the tender look on the face of the Mother of God, and felt the joy in his heart, he was content.**

**Signing his farewell, Diego gazed once more at the sleeping infant, and turned and walked out of the cave.The night air was still crisp and cool, but the fog had dissipated.The hills and stars had the familiarity of home.Tornado whinnied softly and Diego rubbed his nose.**

**It was time for the Fox to ride.Why, he didn’t really know.After what had just happened, Diego hesitated to re-enter the cave.There was no moon in the sky, so he found some brush, quickly took down the saddlebag and pulled out the black clothing.Then he began to change.Was it all a dream, he wondered?That was when he noticed the absence of the silver studs.They had been cut off.Pulling out his watch, he saw the chain and ring missing.It had not been a dream.In awe, Diego finished dressing, scarcely aware of what he was doing, making the change from habit of many years of practice.**

**His clothing went into the saddlebag, the sword in his scabbard, and he mounted and turned Tornado south.Why, again, he wasn’t totally sure, but he knew that was the direction he needed to go.As the stallion ate up mile after mile with his easy canter, Zorro pondered the marvelous experience that had just transpired.The wonder of it stayed firmly in his mind.He felt Tornado’s muscles bunch and extend under his thighs, felt the cool night air waft soothingly across his body, lifting the cape and making it flow behind like the wings of the great condor.Zorro felt a purpose in his ride, one that he had not felt for some time, and he wondered what the end result would be.**

**Just as the sun was rising over the eastern mountains, he topped a small rise and saw in the _arroyo_ below, a camp.A fire had burned down to coals, and Zorro noticed several sleeping bodies situated around it like the outer rim of a wheel.Zorro felt no compulsion to ride on; this was where he was needed.Dismounting, he motioned to Tornado to wait for his command, and the outlaw stealthily made his way down the slope, mentally bemoaning the stiffness that the many hours of nighttime riding had inflicted on him.In the brightness of the new day, he slipped from bush to boulder to tree, wondering at the nonchalance of the campers who still slept.As he drew closer he noticed that there were three soldiers in the group, and his astonishment at their negligence grew.**

**Carefully he circled the camp, taking in the fact that with the soldiers there were three civilians, two of latter appearing to be children.The smallest child moaned and cried softly in his sleep, waking the adult sleeping nearby.It was a woman and she quietly slid over to the child and leaned against him.Zorro noticed that her hands were tied.A soldier grumbled, rolled over and opened one eye.Sitting up, he scratched himself and motioned the woman to the fire.She, in turn, held up her hands.Shrugging, he beckoned her over to him and pulled out a knife.When she was close, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, kissing her soundly and then attempting to grope inside her dress.With a soft cry, she jerked back, kicked the soldier solidly in the shin and slid back to her children, both of whom were awake by now.**

**Zorro admired the woman’s courage.He felt indignation rising, but realized he must find out more of the situation before acting.With a howl, the soldier leaped up, holding his bruised leg and dancing around the campsite, tripping over one of his companions.**

**“You imbecile.We will have enough of her before we get to San Diego,” one of the other sleepers, the apparent leader said, shoving the unfortunate soldier to the side.**

**“I have to go relieve myself,” the older boy spoke up, interrupting the tirade.With a start, Zorro realized that the boy was speaking English with just enough Spanish mixed in to make himself understood by the soldiers.He appeared to be eleven or twelve.**

**“Go on, you devil coyote.But remember, we have your mother here.You had better come back,” the leader said, supplementing his Spanish with hand signs.**

**Zorro slipped away from the camp and waited for the boy to get a small distance away from the others. He allowed the child to finish his business, and then he quietly slipped out from behind a rock.Before the boy could cry out, he grabbed him, placing his gloved hand over the child’s mouth.Then the outlaw realized that the appellation, ‘devil coyote’ was an apt one.The boy bit and kicked him, squirming with a strength that Zorro wouldn’t have guessed to be in one so young.It was all he could do to hang on to the child.**

**Leaning close to the boy’s ear, he whispered in English, “I am here to free you and your family.You have to trust me.”The boy stopped fighting and Zorro added, “Will you promise to stay quiet if I let you go?”He felt the boy’s nod behind his glove.Slowly, he let him go.**

**The boy turned and scrutinized him.“Who are you? A robber?”**

**The grey eyes took in the costume and the sword in an instant and then looked deeply into the masked man’s eyes.Zorro was also impressed with the boy’s courage.There was fear in those eyes, but there was also a fierce determination.“No, I am El Zorro.I am your friend.But first you must tell me what is going on here.”**

**“That’s fox in Spanish, isn’t it?” the boy asked, cocking his head slightly and continuing to peer at him carefully, as though trying to figure out his secrets.“I’m Jeremy.And the little fellow in camp is my brother, Henry.And that’s my ma that was tied up.”**

**“And you three are prisoners.”**

**“We aren’t supposed to be.My pa, ma and Henry and me were all traveling to San Diego from St. Louis.Pa was going to help a Señor Alvarez with his shipping business.Pa thought that living in California would be a good thing and a way to make a lot of money.He was good with business….”**

**The boy paused and Zorro saw sorrow in his face.He immediately felt he understood.“Your father died on the way?” he prompted.**

**“He was good at business, but no good at travel.It was so hot and he drank from a spring that must have been poisoned. He died while we were crossing the mountains northeast of here.Soldiers in San Fernando said they would make sure we got to San Diego.I don’t know why.No one there wants us either.”**

**“I am sorry for your father’s death, Jeremy, but why did these men make you prisoners?”**

**“They seemed to hate us right from the beginning.I guess they figured on doing something else besides taking us to San Diego.And I know that they are going to kill us before we get there,” Jeremy stated.**

**Zorro nodded.The boy was probably right.**

**“What are you doing, you little devil,” one of the lancers called out from the camp.**

**Jeremy gave a convincing moan and in broken English/Spanish complained of a bellyache.Zorro chuckled softly.This child was a very quick thinker.**

**“So what are you going to do?” Jeremy asked softly, turning back to the man in black.**

**“I am going to free your family,” Zorro stated confidently.“You stay here.”**

**Unsheathing his sword, he crept toward the camp.He had made a very bold statement to this boy, and he had every intention of following through.However, Zorro was not exactly sure how he was going to do it.He watched for a moment, but drew back when a soldier came out into the brush to find Jeremy.Waiting patiently for the lancer to pass by, Zorro then reached out and jerked the soldier toward him, the hilt of his sword rendering the man unconscious before he could cry out.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jeremy gazing at him with extreme satisfaction from behind another boulder.**

**Slipping toward the perimeter of the camp, he positioned himself so that he would be between the woman and the other two soldiers when he raided the camp.One of the men bent down to check his saddle bag.Zorro leaped the remaining few feet, and pushed Jeremy’s mother behind him.Quickly, he had the point of his sword at the throat of the leader, a corporal.“Señor, do not force me to see if you can breathe through a hole in your throat,” Zorro hissed.He reached in and jerked the pistol from the soldier’s belt.Pointing it at the other man, he added, “Do not try anything, señor.This bullet would make an even larger hole than the point of my sword.”**

**“Señor Zorro!” one of the soldiers cried out.“It was said that you were dead.”**

**“No, señores, I am very much alive,” Zorro replied with a laugh.“Now tell me, what crime has this lady and her two children done that they are being held prisoners here?Or is she simply a prisoner because you want a bit of momentary pleasure?”**

**“She is an Americano!”The corporal spat into the dust.**

**“So what if she is?” Zorro asked.**

**“The Americanos are taking away the wealth that belongs to Californianos.”**

**“Wealth belongs to those who work for it,” Zorro retorted.**

**Addressing the woman in English, he said, “It is my understanding that you are supposed to meet someone in San Diego.”**

**There was a slight pause, during which Zorro assumed that Jeremy’s mother was trying to assimilate everything that had happened in the past few short minutes.Her eyes were wide with fear, but there was also curiosity in them.And trust.“Yes, but it was actually my husband who was supposed to meet Señor Alvarez.When he found out about my husband’s death, he was not interested in helping us.The officials in San Fernando decided to send us anyway.These men were supposed to escort us to Señor Alvarez.It quickly became apparent that they had other ideas.”**

**Turning his icy gaze back to the soldiers, he said, “Señores, this lady claims that you have kept her prisoner for no other reason than to use her for your own pleasures.She says also that she is supposed to be a guest in California,” he said, to the soldiers, reverting to Spanish.“Perhaps you can enlighten me on these new rules of etiquette for the treatment of guests in Alta California.”There was a smile on his lips, but it was anything but warm.**

**“She is not a lady; she is an Americano, and, as far as we are concerned, she and her children are not guests.The Americanos should all be killed or sent back to their own land,” the leader spat out.**

**“I will not discuss politics.You had the intention of raping this woman, and that I will not allow.She not only had a benefactor in San Diego, but she has one in Los Angeles as well,” Zorro said, adlibbing as he went along, an idea forming in his mind.“You almost had to go through Los Angeles to reach here.Why did you not deliver her and her two sons to Diego de la Vega?”**

**“Diego de la Vega?What?No one said anything about a benefactor in Los Angeles.”**

**“It would not matter if they had.Your intentions were clear from….”**

**“Señor Zorro!” Jeremy shouted at almost the same time that a report echoed among the boulders.A sharp, burning pain cut into his upper left arm, and Zorro pivoted, aimed and fired in almost the same motion.The shooter, the man he had ambushed earlier, fell to the ground, holding his wrist and screaming from his wound.Chastisement at his lapse in disarming the soldier was quickly thrust aside.**

**Turning again, the outlaw saw that the leader had pulled out his own sword.With short, quick successive lunges and strokes, Zorro soon had the leader disarmed and writhing on the ground, blood flowing from a wound in his shoulder.Spinning around, Zorro saw that the woman had not been idle.She was standing over the third soldier who was unconscious on the ground.In her hand was a cast iron griddle, on her face a great smile.He smiled back at her, admiring her independence and courage.**  
  
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**[Chapter Three](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace3.htm) **  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace1.htm)**  
**[Holiday Zorro Stories](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/holidayintro.htm)**  
**[Zorro Contents](http://www.bookscape.net/zorro/zorrocontents.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	3. Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

_**Peace on Earth**_  
  
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**Part Three**

**“I want to thank you… Señor Zorro, is it?” she said.**

**Zorro bowed.“You are entirely welcome.Now we must go to the hacienda of your new benefactor,” he said, grimacing at the burning sensation in his arm. _Not all bullets missed_ , he thought wryly.He felt the warm sticky flow of his blood trickling down his arm.The woman looked puzzled, but following his lead, nodded and began gathering up their few meager belongings.Zorro whistled and was rewarded with the thundering hoof beats that heralded the approach of Tornado.The three Americanos gazed in wonder at the coal black stallion that pranced in front of them.**

**“Jeremy, go and get three horses from the picket,” Zorro instructed.The boy scampered off to do his bidding and soon appeared leading what looked to be three draft horses.**

**As the masked man scrutinized the animals, Jeremy explained, “These are our own horses.They were three of the team that brought us to California.We will not be accused of being horse thieves.”**

**Zorro nodded, sheathed his sword, and then helped the children mount their horses.As he helped Jeremy’s mother onto her horse, their eyes met and he felt a thrill he had not experienced in a great many years.He felt drawn to her.Her auburn hair lay in disheveled layers around her face, almost like a halo.Her blue eyes held great courage and strength.Her face was dirty, her hands calloused and coated with the grime of the trail, but there was great dignity in her demeanor that no amount of trail dust could diminish.Zorro had to resist the temptation to wipe a spot of charcoal from her cheek.**

**Her gaze, on the other hand, was one of intense scrutiny, as though she was trying to figure him out, as though she were trying to guess who he was and why he was doing this for them.**

**When they had all mounted, they turned to the north, leaving the moaning soldiers lying on the ground to take care of themselves.Zorro had already determined that all of them would be able to make it to a local hacienda without too much difficulty.**

**For several miles they rode in silence.Then the woman stopped her horse, calling out to him.Zorro halted Tornado and gazed at her.“I will go no further until I find out two things,” she said, her face a study in resolute dignity.**

**“And those are?” Zorro asked.**

**“I want to find out about this other benefactor you mentioned.And I also want to find out the extent of your injury,” she stated, motioning for him to dismount.**

**“Let us get further away from the main road, señora, and then I will comply,” he answered, feeling the blood continuing to soak his sleeve, and knowing that she was right.In a hidden _arroyo_ , they dismounted and Zorro watched as the American woman dug into saddlebags for various supplies.He judged her to be in her early thirties or late twenties.**

**“Why do you go masked, Señor Zorro?” she asked a bit later while she worked on his arm.The two boys stood close behind her, watching every move their mother made.**

**“It became necessary to hide my true… aah!” he cried out as she prodded the wound to see the extent of the damage.“…identity to fight a corrupt comandante,” he continued.“Justice was best served by disguise.”**

**“And you have been doing it ever since,” she said evenly, continuing to work.After a few minutes, she added, “You are very fortunate, señor, the bullet caused some damage to the flesh, but it went all the way through and managed to miss the bone.Somehow it managed to miss you as well.”She pointed to the exit hole on the inside of his sleeve, and then felt the skin under his shirt to make sure there had been no further injury.**

**Her proximity exhilarated him.The touch of her fingers exhilarated him.Clamping down on his emotions, Zorro said nothing for a moment.He continued to watch her hands at work.“There is always injustice, it would seem.But I do not ride as often as I once did.”**

**“If this is any indication, it is a good thing,” she responded evenly, but with a slight smile on her lips.**

**Zorro began to chuckle softly and then to laugh.“I suppose you are right, Señora….”He paused, not knowing her name.“I am sorry, but Jeremy told me no more than his and his brother’s names.”For some reason, the continued touch of her fingers as she bandaged his arm seemed to make him feel light-hearted, joyful, and slightly excited.How could someone he barely knew make him feel like a giddy college boy, he asked himself, bewildered.**

**“I am Sarah Hamilton.And you?” she asked, mischievously.**

**“No fair, señora.I have kept this secret for twenty years, I will keep it for a while longer.”**

**Sarah laughed with him as they remounted.“And this mysterious benefactor?”**

**“Simply an honest and just dealing hacendado who will keep you safe until you can figure out what you want to do next.Diego de la Vega owns a rancho near Los Angeles,” he explained.**

**“You can speak for him?And what about Señora de la Vega?”Her face darkened into a frown.**

**Sensing her anxiety, Zorro spoke quickly to ease her fears.“I believe I have learned the character of those living in Los Angeles well by now.And there is no Señora de la Vega.”Señora Hamilton finished and they remounted and continued toward Los Angeles.**

**The children plied him with questions before they, too, fell quiet and everyone rode along in silence.The afternoon sun was almost resting on the backs of the western hills before they stopped at a small lake and rested.“It is a fairly short distance to the de la Vega hacienda, but the boys looked tired and I thought it best to let everyone refresh themselves,” Zorro said.Not only did they look tired, but he knew that they were hungry as well.The boys had long since eaten the meager trail rations that had been brought with them from the camp.**

**“Gracias,” Sarah said, with a grateful sigh.She had been trying to use some Spanish words during the ride and Zorro had accommodated her by naming things as they rode.While the boys splashed at the edge of the pond, the adults watched.“It seems so strange, but I have been so afraid and angry since I lost James.It is so lonely being in a place where there are no kinfolk, no friends and where you can’t even speak or understand the language.But I have felt safe with you, Señor Zorro.So protected.I will miss you when we reach this hacienda.I don’t want to be afraid again.”**

**“You need not fear.Don Diego will keep you safe and I will always be near to help, if you need me,” Zorro answered softly.**

**“You must come to see me, so I can take care of your wound,” she said and then looked puzzled, as though not understanding something.**

**“I promise,” Zorro promptly said, happy at the prospects of a private meeting with this spirited woman.**

**She looked up into his hazel eyes and then turned away again, walking over to the horses and calling the boys.Reluctantly, Jeremy and Henry trudged toward their mother.Zorro understood their reluctance even while knowing it was not for the same reason as his own.**

**A few hours after dark, they rode to the front gate of the casa grande.Zorro truly could not say that he had ever seen anything that looked so good in his life.The stamina that he had when he was twenty-three was somewhat diminished at forty-three.Two days and a night of constant riding, coupled with several months of comparative inactivity had taken their toll.He was exhausted.“Hola, de la Vega hacienda!” he called out.**

**There was a pattering of feet, exclamations of surprise, and then the creaking of the gate.One of the house servants, Juan, stared at him, open-mouthed.“Señor Zorro!We thought that you were…”**

**“Dead?It seems to be a common misconception.This is the Lady Sarah Hamilton and her children.Don Diego is their benefactor until they decide where they want to go.They have been cruelly mistreated by soldiers who were supposed to be escorting them.Please see that they are given a hot dinner and comfortable beds.”**

**“Sí, Señor Zorro, but Don Diego has not returned home from the pueblo yet,” Juan said, holding his lantern up to more closely examine the late night arrivals.**

**“No matter, you just do as I have requested.I will find and inform Don Diego of his guests,” he replied as he wheeled Tornado around.Turning to Sarah, he added, “Juan will take care of you.And Don Diego will most likely be here when you awaken in the morning.Adios, Señora Hamilton.”**

**Putting his heels to Tornado’s side, he galloped over the hill, riding the perimeter of the de la Vega lands.It was in his mind to make sure that no one had followed the little family.He wasn’t sure why.Surely no one in either San Diego or San Fernando cared what happened to the Americanos, and he didn’t feel that the soldiers would have the stomach to look for the woman and her children, even if they hadn’t been injured.But he felt a compulsion to make sure that nothing and no one would upset the little family’s newfound peace and safety.**

**After some time, he felt reassured and returned to the cave.It was empty, as he thought it would be.Pulling out his clothing from the saddlebag, he changed, and then slowly remounted.After spending all that time in a compact mass, his clothing looked disheveled enough to appear that he had spent time drinking a bit of wine and riding in the hills.**

**A few hours before dawn, he rode to the stables.A sleepy stable boy came out from the tack room, stretching and yawning.“Don Diego, you have returned!I will take your horse.”**

**“Gracias, Paco.Just take off his saddle and bridle and let him go into the pasture,” Diego told him.The boy’s yawning was infectious.Turning, he made his way to his room, changed yet again, this time to his bedclothes, and, with a sigh, lay down on his bed.After awhile, Diego realized that while he was physically drained, he was no longer sleepy.Remembrances of the past two days began parading in his mind and he lay watching the fire, pondering their meaning.His arm throbbed, making him a bit restless, and he got up and paced his room.It was just as the sun was peeking over the eastern hills before his mind gave him rest and Diego finally fell asleep.**

**The soft sounds of someone entering his room woke him several hours later.Opening his eyes, he gazed into the dark eyes of Isadora.She was staring at him, concern easily discernable on her face.“Oh, Don Diego, you are awake.I was beginning to worry about you.I have some corn porridge for you,” she bantered, her joy making her words exit her mouth faster and faster, until the words, ‘cornporridgeforyou’ merged into one unbroken word.**

**Diego smiled indulgently.“Gracias, Isadora,” he said, sitting up and accepting the bowl that she handed him.She stood quietly as he ate.“What time is it?” he finally asked.**

**“It’s late morning, about ten o’clock, I believe.You are supposed to meet with Don Lorenzo at the noon hour.”**

**Diego thought, remembered and almost choked on his breakfast.“Don Lorenzo?”**

**“Sí, patrón.Are you feeling better now?”**

**“Sí.I am,” he lied, wiping up the last of the porridge with a tortilla.His head felt as though a Posada procession had walked through it, his arm still throbbed, and he still felt the numbness of the exhausted.**

**“Would you like some more porridge?”**

**In chagrin, Diego realized that he had wolfed his food down in a most ungentlemanly manner.But he had been hungry.It had been over a day since he had eaten.His stomach insisted on answering yes, but he shook his head no.It was his duty to get ready and meet Don Lorenzo.“Thank you, Isadora.”When the girl had left the room, he slowly, stiffly got up and began cleaning up and dressing for his meeting.**

**____________________________**

**Sarah watched the sun settle on the hills.The day had been pleasant and restful.She had been shown a room the night before after a hastily prepared but delicious meal.The servants showed the boys a room as well, but both had insisted that they would sleep with their mother.She didn’t argue with them.This was a strange house and they had been through much.**

**Late in the morning, smiling servants brought bowls of corn mush to their bedrooms for breakfast.Smiling in return she began asking them questions.“Where is your master?”**

**The two servants looked at one another and shook their heads.They apparently didn’t understand English.Sarah tried again, this time in the little bit of Spanish that she knew, “Don Diego de la Vega?Where is he?”**

**“Don Diego!”And then came a rattled string of sentences that didn’t make sense.A few signs followed and Sarah took them to mean that the master of the house was not home.This was an interesting household, she thought wryly.This de la Vega was not at home late last night and was not home now.Did he not live in his own home?**

**“Mama, what are we going to do here?” Henry asked.He was sitting on the bed staring at the two servants.Jeremy just sat quietly.**

**“I don’t know, my dear.I suppose we will eat the breakfast, clean up and wait for Don Diego to come back.”**

**“What if he doesn’t want us here either?What will we do then?” Henry asked plaintively.The tenor of his voice bit into her heart and made her breath catch in her throat.**

**“Henry, Señor Zorro assured us that Don Diego would allow us to stay.Don’t you worry yourself about that,” she told him soothingly.He looked visibly relieved and with outstretched hands, took the warm bowl of food offered him.“Graciás,” she said to the servants as they headed toward the door.The young girl nodded and smiled, making signs to show that she would be back later.**

**“Who is this Zorro, Mama?” Jeremy asked when they were alone again.**

**“Our protector.Our one true friend in all this strange land,” she said vehemently.**

**Later in the day, when they had taken baths, had dressed in clean clothes and had been shown around the hacienda, Sarah marveled that there was so much house and so few occupants.There were only a few house servants.A young woman named Isadora seemed to be in charge of the other two, and she had taken it upon herself to make sure they had everything that they needed.Lunch had come and gone and there was still no sign of the enigmatic Don Diego.**

**A vaquero came into the sala where she and the boys were sitting.Bowing, he asked in very broken English, if they wanted to go for a ride on the de la Vega lands.“Mama, may we?” Jeremy asked, hope rising from his boredom.Looking toward Henry, she saw that he, too, wanted to go out.She nodded and he beckoned for them to follow him.**

**Several hours later, Sarah marveled anew at the beauty and expanse of the land owned by just one family, or rather one man.She had seen hillsides of grapevines sitting dormant until spring, pastures and hills filled with cattle and horses, and woodlands, arroyos and grassy knolls with nothing more than native plant and animal life.They had picnicked by a small pond and she had laughed at the antics of the boys playing and splashing near the shore.But she wished that Zorro could be here as he was the day before at the other pond.**

**“Good boys,” the vaquero had said to her in his limited English, and then turned to Isadora, who had come along, apparently as a chaperone of some sort, and said something.The girl nodded and pointed toward Jeremy, making signs to show that he would grow tall someday.Smiling, Sarah nodded in agreement.The congenial atmosphere almost made her forget that she had still not met the elusive Don Diego.She then thought of the bandit, Zorro, and wondered what he was doing at the moment.She worried about his wound.**  
  
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**[Chapter Four](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace4.htm) **  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace1.htm)**  
**[Holiday Zorro Stories](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/holidayintro.htm)**  
**[Zorro Contents](http://www.bookscape.net/zorro/zorrocontents.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	4. Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

_**Peace on Earth**_  
  
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**Part Four**

**Diego sat quietly looking over the rim of his wine glass at Don Lorenzo.The man was about ten years older than himself, his hair turning steely gray to match his eyes.His long fingers were beginning to become gnarled and stiff.The pointed beard was meticulously clipped, as was his mustache.**

**“Diego, this exchange of lands will be of benefit to both of us.I will have more pasture land and you will have the benefit of another pond for your cattle.”**

**“Yes, it is something that we should have done a long time ago.”He had enjoyed the ride to survey the lands in question.Only the pain of his wound marred the excursion.**

**“There is something else to consider as well, my friend.You are not getting any younger.Now, you know that I am not saying that crassly.I am simply stating the same fact that I did a month ago.Have you thought about my proposal to marry my widowed daughter?She would still be able to bear you children, you know.And she would bring a woman’s touch to that _hacienda_ that has been a bachelor’s den for so long.”**

**Diego had thought about it.And had seriously considered it.The offer had been initially given after Bernardo died and when Diego had had so much time to think gloomy, lonely thoughts.Lorenzo was correct; it was empty in the _casa grande_.It did need a woman to make it less lonely.And at the time, he had thought Zorro gone forever.There would be no worry about a secret identity to keep.But for some reason, alarm bells had sounded this time when Lorenzo had again brought the proposal to his attention.Somehow he felt that this kind of union would not be good; it wouldn’t be right.**

**“If you are worried about Imelda’s baby…” Lorenzo ventured, when he got no response from his fellow don.**

**Diego shook his head.“Of course not, Lorenzo.I like children.It is that I am not sure about a relationship which has not started with love,” he blurted out, before he thought about a more diplomatic answer.**

**His friend laughed heartily, motioning for a servant to refill the wine glasses.“Diego, marriages have been consummated without love for centuries.Why would that stop you now?You know this would be a good marriage.Love could come later.My daughter would be a good match.”**

**Sighing, Diego answered, “I know, Lorenzo, but that does not make it right for me.”**

**“You did not seem quite this reticent the last time we talked.”Lorenzo took several sips of his wine, studying the younger man carefully.“I hear that you took in an _Americano_ woman.”**

**Diego jerked his head up in surprise.“How did you hear about that?She and her children only arrived yesterday evening.”**

**“Servants talk among themselves.Incurable gossips, they are.”**

**“I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet,” he said guardedly.**

**Lorenzo visibly relaxed.“Then why not accept this offer of mine?”**

**Why not, indeed, he asked himself.Then a slight, whispery voice in his mind said, _No!_ It had been soft, but as clear as the voice of Lorenzo Leon across from him. _No.Imelda is not for you._**

**“Because Imelda deserves better, Lorenzo,” he finally said.Standing up, Diego set the crystal wine goblet down and smiled at his host.“I enjoyed the meal and the conversation.I am pleased that we could come to an agreement on the land.And I wish you much good luck in your search for a new husband for your daughter.She deserves a younger man, Lorenzo.One who loves her and one she can love in return.”**

**As he rode toward home, he wondered at his decision.What was wrong with him?He wanted to leave loneliness behind; he wanted laughter in the house.A week ago, he was ready to accept Imelda as his wife.Now?Was it because he had begun riding again as Zorro?What did the little voice want him to do?He almost felt foolish, but at the same time, he knew the decision was right.Zorro or no Zorro, this union between Imelda Leon and himself was not meant to be.**

**As he crested a hill, he heard laughter in the small valley below.Squinting in the bright westering sunlight, he watched as Jeremy and Henry splashed and played in the shallows of a pond.He saw Sarah watching from under a large, spreading oak.Miguel, the head _vaquero_ , and Isadora had taken them on a picnic.That is good, he thought.He would go home, change into something a bit less formal and then meet them as they returned.**

**But he continued to watch the Americanos, unobserved.Perhaps in a few minutes, he would ride down and introduce himself, he thought, and then accompany them back to the _hacienda_.The sun reflected burnished gold off _Señora_ Hamilton’s auburn hair.He heard her laughter as she watched the antics of her boys and it made him feel happy.Jeremy ducked under the water and then pulled Henry after him. Both boys came up spluttering and laughing.Diego watched avidly, enjoying his surreptitious pleasure until the throbbing in his arm became too much to ignore.Looking down, he saw a small red stain on the sleeve of his _chaqueta_.Sighing, Diego knew that precluded meeting them now. **

**Soon afterward, when the sun was directly in his eyes, touching the tops of the hills to the west, he finally turned his bay and trotted home.Before going to the stables, he took a roundabout way and entered the secret cave.Quickly, he washed the wound, grimacing when the cold water of the little spring touched the hot and damaged flesh of his arm.Cursing softly, he saw signs of infection and trudged up the stairs to fetch the medicines he kept in the bottom of his wardrobe.Cleaning and wrapping his wound one-handed became tedious and frustrating, and he was sweating by the time he had finished.Looking down at the bandage, he realized with a wry smile that he was not a very good doctor.He washed the blood out of his shirt and _chaqueta_ , dried them as best as he could and mounted his horse.**

**When he rode out of the cave, Diego was surprised to see that it was dark.The chill night air hit his flesh and made his skin crawl.Riding sedately along a little used trail, he soon rode into the stable and greeted the same sleepy stable hand as the night before.“Well, Paco, it would seem I am making a habit of coming home late. Rub him down, and then release him into the corral.”The boy nodded and took the reins.**

**When he walked into the _sala,_ he was surprised to see it empty.Isadora, hearing him enter, soon was at his side.“Don Diego, we saved dinner for you.Beef ribs with rice and beans. _Señora_ Hamilton and her children liked it very much,” she bantered.**

**“Where are the _señora_ and her children?”**

**“They went out riding today and were very tired when they returned.They have already gone to bed, _patrón_.Sit down and eat your dinner.”**

**Wearily Diego did just that, enjoying the meal that Juanita had prepared.Washing down the last bite with a few swallows of fine de la Vega wine, he thought that _Señora_ Hamilton’s idea of retiring early wasn’t such a bad idea. **

**“Was your meeting with Don Lorenzo successful, Don Diego?” Isadora asked, her curiosity palpable.**

**Diego chuckled, feeling mellow and indulgent.“Yes and no.”He paused and let the young woman’s anticipation build for a moment or two.“Yes, the land exchange went very well. And, no, I am not marrying Imelda Leon.”**

**“Oh,” Isadora said softly, her voice betraying neither disappointment nor satisfaction.**

**Diego had not been able to determine if the servant felt him to be a ‘brother’ or a possible suitor, but this time she gave him no clues.“Isadora, you will most likely be the first to know if and when I do marry.Probably before my intended does,” he said sardonically, his tongue held firmly in his cheek.**

**“ _Graciás_ , Don Diego,” Isadora replied brightly.As he rose from his seat, she gathered the dishes.“Would you care for a cigar in the library?”**

**“No, I think I will go on to bed as well.”**

**“ _Buenos noches_ , Don Diego.”**

**“ _Buenos noches_ , Isadora.”**

**But sleep would not so easily come.Diego pondered his conversation with Lorenzo Almeda, the scene at the pond, the events of the past six months.He also tried to ignore the pain of his arm, but found it an impossibility.Finally, he put on his robe and quietly slipped down to the library, where he sat staring at the dying fire.In the amber coals he saw oil lamps and torches, and then a manger and a baby.His eyes closed and he saw the scene even more clearly.Then it slowly changed and he saw the face of Sarah Hamilton in front of him.Her disheveled auburn hair framed a smudged, but still dignified countenance.Her blue eyes regarded him steadily….**

**___________**

**After spending a restless evening trying to sleep, Sarah entered the library, and finding it already occupied, gazed at the sleeping man carefully. _This must be Don Diego de la Vega_ , she thought in amusement.She wondered why someone still so handsome was living alone.And she wondered about his absences.It would appear that the servants were well versed in running this house on their own.Juan and the woman, Isadora, were very kind, but still the fear had been with her.Despite the reassurances of _Señor_ Zorro, despite her own reassurances to her children, she couldn’t help but wonder at her family’s reception from de la Vega.**

**_Señor_ Alvarez had refused to help them once he had found out about her husband’s death.The magistrate’s aide had explained all of this, he being the only one involved in her case who could speak any amount of English. Two months of letter writing, of wondering and fretting and she was going to be forced on a man who didn’t want anything to do with her, by those who didn’t want anything to do with her.Despite all reassurances, she was afraid of it happening again.**

**Tears threatened to spill and she turned to the fire.“ _Señora_ Hamilton,” a soft voice said behind her.Jerking around she stared at the man in the chair.The reflection of the dying fire showed in his eyes; they reminded her of someone else.He sat up straighter in his chair.“You are most welcome in my _hacienda_.”**

**“Zorro told you?”**

**“Yes, he told me everything, and I want you to know that you are welcome here as long as you want to stay.As you can see, this _hacienda_ is more than big enough to accommodate you and your sons.”**

**“ _Gracias, señor_ ,” she said.The breath she had been holding was slowly released.**

**“Please, just call me Diego,” he instructed.**

**“And I am Sarah,” she replied.His voice was authoritative, but gentle.He reminded her of her dead husband and the tears that had threatened to spill now did so.In the quiet times of the night she found the fear that she suppressed during the day threatening to overwhelm her.She felt so alone, so unprotected.And yet, now, at this moment, she felt a measure of security, and wondered how long it would last.All of the emotions of the past months were now almost more than she could bear.**

**“ _Señora_ … Sarah, what is wrong?” he asked, rising from his chair in alarm.He handed her a handkerchief.“Are you ill?”**

**“No, I am fine, it’s just… I… I’m overwhelmed.First with the kindness of the masked man, Zorro, and then with your kindness.And you reminded me of James….”**

**“Your husband,” Diego stated.She nodded.“Tell me about your journey and how all this misfortune happened, if you don’t mind,” he prodded gently, sitting back down and motioning for her to sit near him.**

**For the next several hours she spoke.She talked about Boston where she and James had married and where the boys had been born.That led to the circumstances of their travels from Massachusetts to San Diego.She detailed the hardships of such a journey on those whose lives had been mainly spent in a large city.“James would not think of traveling by ship.He would become deathly ill just walking on the seashore.”**

**“I imagine that made life interesting, living in Boston,” Diego said, knowing that the American city lay on the Eastern seaboard.He was mesmerized by her voice and her story, and had momentarily forgotten his fatigue.“So you tried to come on your own overland.”**

**“No, there was a group of us until Santa Fe.Then we came on our own.We were not too far from here when James was poisoned.He died in the wagon as we were driving into San Fernando….”After she had finished, she looked at him.“Diego, now that I have laid bare my soul, tell me about yourself,” she prodded, curious about this man.**

**He did so, speaking fondly of his father, his boyhood days on the ranch, his time in Spain, attending the university.He talked a great deal about life in California.She began seeing things that she had no idea existed when she was waiting for the magistrate to make his decision.California began to have some appeal to her, due to the magic of his words.Diego had a remarkable presence about him, she thought, and she began to feel not only comfortable with him, but she found herself drawn to him.Sarah noticed, however, that his narrative was conspicuously devoid of personal events, and she wondered if his life was so placid for the past twenty years that he felt that nothing of importance had occurred to him.**

**“Sarah, it is the season of _Navidad_.Do you think you and the boys would like to see a _Posada_ procession tonight?” Diego asked, changing the subject.Suddenly the lack of sleep and the long ride had caught up with him.And as much as he was enjoying Sarah’s companionship, he felt hot and wanted to get away from the fire. “Provided, of course, that we get some sleep.It is probably near dawn, “ he added with a chuckle.His laugh was infectious, and she laughed along with him.**

**“Of course, I would like that.It would be good for the boys to feel something other than sadness and anger,” she replied.**

**Diego got up stiffly from the chair.“Sarah, let me accompany you to your room.Sometimes, in the dark it is easy to trip over things in a strange house.”**

**With a smile, she rose from her seat near the hearth.Then she saw Diego stagger and grab for the back of the chair.Rushing to his side, she grasped his arm to steady him and heard his breath hiss forcefully between his teeth.Helping him back to his seat, she felt a wetness under her hand.Looking at her palm and then at the sleeve of his robe, she saw blood on both.**

**Revelation hit her like an avalanche.Now she knew why his eyes reminded her of someone she knew, why she felt the same strong presence as she had with Zorro.“ **You** are Zorro!” she exclaimed, the revelation confusing her, while at the same time exhilarating her.**  
  
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**[Chapter Five](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace5.htm) **  
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**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace1.htm)**  
**[Holiday Zorro Stories](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/holidayintro.htm)**  
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**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	5. Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

_**Peace on Earth**_  
  
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**Part Five**

**Leaning back in total exhaustion, he just gazed into her eyes.A quick denial had been on his lips, but he saw something in the blue depths that kept him from even trying.“Would it do any good to deny it?” he asked softly.He inexplicably felt complete confidence in her ability to keep his secret, along with an absolute trust in her.**

**“No, because I have so many other clues now that tell me the truth, Diego.Let me look at your arm again.”Gently, she eased the robe off and then his shirt.The wound was still oozing blood and it looked infected.His skin felt hot to the touch.“I will have to clean it out more thoroughly than I did before.”**

**While she was getting water and cloth from the cooking area, she suddenly realized the implications of Diego not speaking of his past, of there being no _Señora_ de la Vega, of his apparent loneliness.His whole adult life had revolved around being Zorro, of helping the people in this area. This great ranch supported his clandestine activities, but his clandestine activities had precluded anything close to marriage or family.**

**Sarah found herself being drawn even closer to Diego and she was amazed at the ironic turn of events that had occurred in just a scant forty-eight hour period of time.She also felt a tinge of guilt for what she thought was disloyalty to her dead husband.But she couldn’t help it.She was attracted to Diego--his gentleness, his compassion, his strength.And she was drawn to more than his personality, although that was the main thing that attracted her to him.Even though he was more than ten years her senior, he was still physically strong, masculine and sensual.Wryly, she reflected that he wasn’t even trying to present himself that way.**

**She had to wait, had to be levelheaded and not begin something that she would have to end painfully later.There were the boys to think about.Carefully, Sarah finished cleaning and bandaging his arm, making it a bit tighter this time.“Everyone seemed to think that Zorro was dead.I am assuming that you hadn’t ridden for quite a while.”**

**“It has been over six months, since Bernardo first got sick,” he said, explaining more fully events of the past several years. “And I didn’t ride a great deal for a year before that.”**

**“What changed your mind?” she asked.“Or is it too personal?”**

**“No,” Diego murmured.“Not for you, since you are a part of it.”He proceeded to relate his experience in the cave.**

**Sarah’s eyes widened in wonder at his story.“Oh, Diego, that is incredible!”He nodded, suddenly too tired even for words.She gently laid her hand on his. “I think it is I who needs to help you to your room,” she said with a smile.He returned her smile with one of his own.**

**The next day, Sarah met Isadora on the patio steps.“I will take Don Diego’s lunch to him,” she said brightly.“I met him last night and it grew too late to finish all we were talking about.”**

**“He was asleep earlier, señora,” the servant informed her.“He may still be asleep.That is his habit.”**

**Of course it would be, Sarah thought, whether he was out riding as Zorro or whether he was feeling the effects of his loneliness.“He told me of his late night habits,” she countered.**

**Isadora frowned slightly as Sarah took the tray, but she didn’t protest.Balancing the food with one hand, she tapped lightly and then turned the latch.Pushing the door open, she walked in to find Diego at the washstand, stripped to the waist.He shuffled slightly so that his left side was away from her, but when he saw who it was, he visibly relaxed.**

**“I thought that if I attended to you, it would be less awkward,” she offered.**

**“Gracias, Sarah.It would be.Isadora is a wonderful servant, but she is almost like a mother hen, fussing over me.I really do not feel up to figuring out a suitable excuse for this hole in my arm.”**

**Setting the tray down on his bed, she strode over and examined the wound.There was still a small amount of drainage, but all in all, she was pleased that the bleeding had almost stopped.She looked up into his face and saw that he appeared a bit flushed.Reaching up, she felt his forehead“Diego, I believe that you have a fever.Your wound was infected last night when I cleaned it.You need to be back in bed.”**

**“I do feel tired.”**

**“Of course you feel tired!You have not slept a full night in at least three nights.”**

**“I slept this morning,” Diego protested.**

**“Diego, I said a full night’s sleep.You have also ridden a great deal, saving Americanos from depraved soldiers and receiving a wound doing it.You have not been taking care of yourself either.Need I go on?”**

**“No,” Diego said simply.“I am too tired to argue with you anyway.”**

**“Good, then get back in bed.”She handed him his nightshirt as he turned toward the refuge of his bed.“You might want to be covered up a bit more in case Isadora decides to mother hen you when I’m not around.”She moved the tray to a small table near the bed.**

**“Small wounds like this didn’t bother me when I was younger,” Diego muttered a feeble argument as he lay down.Soon his eyes had closed and his breathing deepened.**

**“You are not immortal, Diego,” Sarah murmured, wiping his sweaty brow with a cool cloth.“And it is not that small a wound.”She pulled his coverlet up to his chin.Before she opened the door to leave his room, Sarah glanced back at the enigmatic man who had so captured her emotions and appeared to be capturing her heart.**

**____________________________________**

**Six days later, Father Miguel came by for a visit.He was let into a house that seemed brighter for some reason, than it had for months.Diego was sitting at the sala table going over the rancho _’s_ ledgers.He smiled a greeting to the padre as the caballero rose to his feet.The priest motioned him to sit back down.“You are looking well and happy, Diego, my son.”**

**“Graciás, Padre.I am happy.Is there something I can do for you?”**

**“Yes, Diego, you can….”The priest was interrupted by the thundering of feet that belonged to two rambunctious strawberry-blonde headed boys who galloped in from the patio, through the sala and then into the library.Father Miguel noticed Diego watching the boys with the smile of an indulgent father, and he wondered if other rumors about the Americano houseguests at the de la Vega rancho were true.**

**The boys galloped back through the sala.“Jeremy, Henry.Stop.You must say hello to our guest.This is Padre Miguel from the pueblo.”Both boys screeched to a halt, only then realizing there was a stranger in the room.Hesitantly, they greeted the priest with their increased skills in the Spanish language, but watching him with suspicious eyes.**

**“Tio Diego, will we go riding this afternoon?” Jeremy finally asked, his eyes not leaving the priest’s face.**

**“Yes, of course, Jeremy, and perhaps you can help me cull out a few promising colts to train,” Diego promised.With that, Jeremy happily shouted and roared out of the room as noisily as he had entered it.But Henry stayed behind, staring at the priest.Suddenly the seven-year-old climbed onto Diego’s lap, his countenance fearful, his fists clutching tightly to his benefactor’s vest.“Henry, it is all right.Padre Miguel is a friend.I will let no one hurt you, your brother or your mother,” he said softly, his voice soothing and gentle.**

**“You promise, Tio Diego?” he asked.Diego nodded and held the boy tight.A few minutes later, Henry climbed down and pattered softly out the same door his brother had.**

**“Excuse their hostility, Father.They had been traumatized and they are just now beginning to learn that not everyone in California is an enemy.”**

**“Por nada, Diego.They are coming along quite well, it would seem.You are very good with them.”Father Miguel had also watched the auburn haired American woman standing surreptitiously just beyond the doorway and knew from whence came Diego’s newfound happiness. _Whatever brought these boys and their mother into his life; it is good_ , the priest thought.The rumor that the patrón was in love with the Americano woman was true. _It is about time_ , he thought wryly to himself.“I came to ask if you were going to the last Posada tonight and the mass afterward?Noche Buena would not seem the same without you.”At Diego’s nod, he added,“and you must bring your ‘nephews’ and their mother.”**

**______ ******

**On the eve of Día de los Reyes, Diego found himself in his secret room, changing into the garb of Zorro.As soon as the arm had healed, Zorro had begun periodically riding again.Three weeks ago Sarah and her children had come into his life.The silken cord of love, that tie that at once is so delicate, but also as strong as steel, continued to draw him closer to the Americano woman.He had felt in love before, but it all paled next to what he was feeling now.Fumbling with the cord that held his cape in place, he chuckled softly at his nervousness, wondering that a man of forty-three could be so nervous.Sarah had alternately been receptive and standoffish, but, regardless, Zorro felt that she was as attracted to him as he was to her.**

**Finally he had all in readiness and made his way through the secret passages to Sarah’s room, which at one time had been his father’s.Zorro silently slipped through a small door that was very similar to the one in his room and stood watching the sleeping woman for a moment.Then he padded to the balcony and opened the door, letting the soft moonlight filter into the room.He noted with satisfaction that Henry was not sleeping with his mother tonight.That would make things much easier.He softly called her name.The second time he called she woke with a start and sat up, staring around her until she spotted him silhouetted in the moonlight.**

**“D… Zorro!” she said.“You startled me.”**

**“It is the eve of Día de los Reyes.I wanted to give you my present early.”**

**Her eyes glinted with anticipation, tinged with curiosity.She knew that Diego had been out as Zorro on occasion recently, watching over her and the boys as well as others in the area. While it had worried her somewhat for him to put himself in harm’s way, she also saw the joy this clandestine service of his brought to him.“What is it, Señor Zorro?”**

**“It is this,” he said, and opening a tiny pouch, pulled out a small gold ring, set with a single large diamond.“Sarah, I want you to be my wife.”**

**Sarah gasped, and only slightly regained her composure.“N…no, Señor Zorro.I cannot accept your proposal,” she blurted out.**

**“But…” he began, his face showing a pain that had all but been forgotten recently.**

**“I cannot accept a proposal from Zorro.I love another,” Sarah said softly.She had no idea why she said that, only that it was true.It was Diego she loved.Although it was the Zorro part of Diego de la Vega who had saved them, Zorro was just a particle of the personality, a small aspect of the totality that was Diego.And it would be Diego she would be marrying, not Zorro.**

**Zorro stared at her, the pain of her words digging into his soul.Could he have been so wrong?Then he looked into her eyes and thought more closely about her words.She was about to say something, but he held up his hand.The ring went into the pouch and the pouch went into his sash.Pulling off his gloves, he threw them on the floor.With a tug, the cord to his cape came undone and with a shrug, it slid to the floor.The hat, the bandanna and the mask followed.In two steps he was back at her bedside.Pulling out the ring, Diego laid it gently in her hand.“Sarah Hamilton, I would be honored and very, very happy if you would be my wife.”**

**Sarah looked up at him, at the eyes that seemed sometimes to hold the weight of the world in them, eyes that were old and young at the same time.Then she looked down at the ring in her hand.She briefly thought of James, and thought that he would approve.He would want her to be happy.And with Diego she **was** happy.The ring blurred as tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.Curling her fingers around the ring, she looked back into the expectant face.“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, God sent you to me.And I love you.”**

**“Yes?YES?” Diego asked, only half hearing the rest of her words.He grabbed her in a fierce hug that ended with a passionate kiss.Taking the ring from her hand, he placed it on her finger.“Feliz Navidad,” he said softly, gently kissing the palm of her hand.**

**“Oh, Diego, I have no present to give you.”**

**“You just gave it to me, Sarah.You gave me your heart.”**

**Leaning forward, she kissed him tenderly and then pulled back slightly.“Feliz Navidad.My heart is yours forever, Diego, my fox, my love.”**

**The End Merry Christmas December, 2000**  
  
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[](mailto:firstbookscape@gmail.com) **Please let me know what you thought.**  
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**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/peace1.htm) **  
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**[Holiday Zorro Stories](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/holidayintro.htm)**  
**[Zorro Contents](http://www.bookscape.net/zorro/zorrocontents.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


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